[105.03] The Einstein Observatory: A New Public/Private Observatory Complex for Community Education and Scientific Research

J. Sowell (GA Tech)

The Development Authority of Cherokee County (Georgia) is
leading a public/private partnership of business/industry
professionals, educators, and university scientists that
seeks to develop a national prototype educational and
scientific research facility for grades K-12, as well as
college-level research, that will inspire our youth to
become literate in science and technology. In particular,
the goal is to make this complex a science, math, and
engineering magnet learning facility and to raise the
average SAT scores of local area students by 100 points.

A dark-site mountain, nestled on the foothills of the Blue
Ridge Mountains at the northern-most edge of Atlanta, will
become the home for the "Einstein" Observatory. The complex
will have four telescopes: one 50-inch, one 24-inch, and two
16-inch telescopes. Each telescope will have digital cameras
and an optic-fiber feed to a single, medium-resolution
spectroscope. All four telescopes will be electronically
accessible from local schools. Professional astronomers will
establish suitable observational research projects and will
lead K-12 and college students in the acquisition and
analysis of data. Astronomers will also assist the local
area schoolteachers in methods for nurturing children's
scientific inquiry.

The observatory mountain will have 100 platform locations
for individual viewing by visiting families, school groups,
and amateur astronomers. The Atlanta Astronomer Club will
provide numerous evening programs and viewing opportunities
for the general public. An accompanying Planetarium &
Science Center will be located on the nearby campus of
Reinhardt College. The Planetarium & Science Center will be
integrated with Reinhardt College's theme of learning
focused upon studying the past and present as a basis for
projecting the future.